sooner than later, i need a savior
by Ilse'sPurpleSummer
Summary: After a heartbreaking end to a perfect romance, Brooke Hogan closes herself off to everyone. 5 years later, she find love in the last person she expected. When her father tries to stand in the way, she worries that this love will end up just like the last time. Brooke/Bully Ray, Brooke/Shane Mcmahon. This Romeo and Juliet romance caught my interest, so please give it a read.


Brooke Hogan was no dummy. She knew how most of the world saw her, a spoiled princess who only had a job because Dixie Carter needed to keep her dad happy. She knew that the name "Hogan" didn't mean damn near what her father liked to pretend it meant. After everything he'd done to embarrass their family, the name "Hogan" was barely better than "Kardashian" these days. So being no dummy, Brooke knew for damn sure what Austin was going to say when he got out in front of that crowd. She knew her relationship with Mark was about to be revealed to the world. She was ok with that- she had nothing to hide. She had every intention of standing there by Mark's side, proudly sharing their relationship with the world. But then Austin said something that stopped her cold in her tracks, made her run because she made a promise to herself a long time ago that she'd never let them see her cry. Austin's words sent her reeling back to a time, not so long ago, when she thought she might very well be "Mrs. Brooke Mcmahon."

In 2005, Brooke was 17. That year, her dad had the "privilege" to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Then they started the build for his match with Shawn. Brooke was beyond excited when her dad asked her to travel with him, stating that they would use Brooke as a backstage enhancement talent. As a result, Brooke got to hang out with some of the talent backstage, which was so awesome for her. Although she knew she had no real skill as a wrestler, the business still called to her. It was in her blood. She needed to be around it. She knew she wanted to be involved somehow, maybe backstage. She asked Vince if there was someone she could shadow, and Vince came up with the perfect idea- his son, Shane. Shane was involved in practically every department in the company, and he readily agreed to let Brooke follow him around. He was endlessly patient with her, always going out of his way to make sure she understood what was going on, why they did things the way they did, and what each step meant. Brooke was really grateful for the opportunity, and soaked up every ounce of knowledge she could. She also found herself getting a little crush on Shane, who aside from being an amazing mentor was a sweetheart. While not traditionally handsome, he had a cute, boyish charm in his looks.

Brooke flirted. She flirted HARD. And after a while, Shane began to flirt back. Despite the 17 year age difference between them, there was an attraction that neither of them could deny. There were other guys interested in her- Cena flirted with her nonstop, and Orton looked at her like he was imagining her naked. Even Adam Copeland, with his sexy girlfriend Lita, slipped a few innuendos in her direction. But Brooke only wanted Shane. He was the only guy she knew for sure was interested in HER, not her last name. She started wearing as short a skirt as she could get away with, high heels, low cut tops, ANYTHING she could do to get Shane's attention. She saw him looking at her, his eyes on her legs, her chest, her ass, but he didn't DO anything about it. It was getting very frustrating, in more than one way. Brooke would fall asleep thinking of Shane, and he was in her dreams, kissing her and holding her and _touching _her in ways that made her wake up, squirming and squeezing her thighs together until the need subsided. Thank god she had her own hotel room because sometimes, when she was in that twilight place between daydream and sleep, she couldn't help the moans and soft noises that fell from her lips as her imagination ran wild.

After a few weeks of this, Brooke started to get a little desperate. She was getting to the point where she dreamed about Shane nightly, and she had no idea if he was feeling the same way she was. For all her confidence, Brooke was still a virgin. She'd had boyfriends and gone on dates, she'd never gone further than heavy petting. Finally, she confronted Shane straight on, told him how she felt, and demanded to know how he felt about her. After staring at her for a full 30 seconds, Shane kissed her. It was everything she'd hoped for, as was the following night, when she said goodbye to her virginity. She and Shane kept their relationship locked up tight, never doubting for a second that if Brooke's father found out there would be hell to pay, even though Brooke had technically reached the age of consent. Brooke was falling more and more in love with Shane every day, being on the road with him every day made the relationship accelerate much faster than it would in the real world. Within two months of getting together, Shane told her he loved her. Brooke was floating on Cloud Nine all the time. Her days were spent working with Shane, and her nights were spent in his bed. After they stopped using her onscreen, Vince offered her an internship. Brooke was on top of the world, and her euphoria only increased when Shane asked her to marry him.

Their engagement, like their relationship, remained a secret, at least for a while. Finally, they felt that they couldn't hide it anymore. They got their parents all together, and revealed their relationship to them. Brooke's dad seemed more shocked than anything, but Vince's face turned redder and redder until he finally exploded, shouting at his son how he was ashamed of him, how Brooke was nearly half his age, barely legal, and how Shane would be disinherited if he continued this relationship. Then he struck the final blow: "No son of mine is going to marry a white trash Hogan." Brooke's eyes filled with tears at that, and she looked imploringly to Shane to defend her. But he was staring at his lap. As the tears started to fall, her father gently took her arm and led her out of the room. They never spoke to the Mchahons again.

That relationship had shaped Brooke more than she'd realized at first. She was leery of men, preferring to keep to herself. She didn't have many girlfriends, so she spent most of her time alone. When she came to work at TNA, the girls there were surprisingly accepting of her. Some even seemed relieved, Velvet in particular saying that this meant Karen Jarrett couldn't come back and take charge now. Then Aces and Eights happened. The night they cornered her in the ring was one of the most terrifying nights of her life. Eventually, Sting decided it was time to take them on. Brooke was afraid that her father would insist on being his tag team partner, but then Bully Ray stepped up. He insisted that he deserved payback, because it was his own brother who was a part of it. Sting agreed, but Hulk was more skeptical. It was clear that he didn't trust Bully, despite Bully's constant attempts to earn it. Brooke felt bad for the way her father was treating him, so when she saw him walk past her office one day she impulsively jumped out of her chair and ran after him.

"Bully? Hey, wait up a second!" she called. He turned to face her, his eyes blazing.

"What? Are you here to tell me how I can't be trusted? That it's just a matter of time before I turn on TNA? How many times do I have to prove myself before it's enough?" he exclaimed. Brooke took a step back, her eyes wide.

"N-no, that's not it at all. I actually wanted to apologize for the way my father has been treating you," she explained. "I can see how much it's bothering you. He has no right to treat you like that." He stared at her for a moment, then rubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry," he said, exhaling. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you, this whole situation is messing with my head," he explained. "It actually means a lot that you would say that." Brooke smiled at him, and he smiled back. She turned to go, but he called after her. "My name is Mark," he said. Brooke turned around and grinned.

"See you around, Mark," she said.

After their confrontation, Mark started popping by her office more and more, at first to vent about her father, but then just to spend time with her. He would sit on the couch and watch her do paperwork, quizzing her about her life, likes and dislikes, pet peeves, etc. Normally Brooke would have been suspicious of a guy spending so much time with her, but she figured he just needed someone to talk to. No one in the company seemed to know where they stood with him. Early one morning, Brooke went into the office before anyone else to sit down by herself and weigh the pros and cons of which girl should get the next title shot. A half hour after she got there, Mark threw her office door opened, strode over to where she was standing in front of her bulletin board, and kissed her. It was completely unexpected and completely wonderful. He wasn't gentle with her, but she liked that. Shane had always treated her like she was made of glass. Brooke found she preferred Mark's slightly rougher handling of her. He pressed her up against the wall as they kissed, and Brooke's head fell back. When he let go of her, she was breathing hard and thoroughly starry eyed.

They seemed to decide they were together without even having to discuss it. They transitioned from friends to a couple almost seamlessly, although they both felt the need to keep it between them for the time being. After a few months though, they started to get careless. All of that led up to tonight, to Austin's words that sent her running back to her office, where she stood crying. She heard people in the hallway, making their way outside- the show had ended. She calmly wiped the mascara trails from her face. Just as she pulled herself together, Mark opened her office door and slipped inside. For a moment they stood still, just looking at each other.

"I'm sorry," Brooke broke the silence. "I… I didn't run out on you because I'm ashamed of us, I just… something he said hit me pretty hard. I had to get out of there." Mark nodded.

"What he said about the Mcmahons, right?" he asked. Brooke turned to him, stunned.

"How in the hell did you know that?" she whispered. Mark shrugged.

"I was there, Brooke," he said. "You may not have noticed me, but I noticed you. I saw the way you looked at him, and I saw when he started looking at you the same way. And knowing him and his daddy as I do, I can pretty much guess how it ended." He took a few steps closer to Brooke. "But I'm not him, Brooke. I'm not some scared little boy who will bail on you the first time our relationship hits a rough patch. I care about you too much to do that. So if you're still in, so am I." He stepped further towards Brooke, and she met him halfway, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he held her. She buried her face in his shoulder and breathed deeply. She'd waited nearly all her life for a white knight to stick up for her, and now it seemed like she'd found one. Shane was a part of her past, and he always would be. But maybe, just maybe, Mark could be a part of her future.

THE END.


End file.
